The Question of Hemp
Marijuana's Forgotten Cousin
Farmers across America are taking another look at hemp farming.
Outlawed in the '30s in a broad swipe at drug use, hemp has unfairly suffered from the bad reputation of its cousin marijuana. Now, as corn, wheat, and soybean profits continue to hold many farmers at the poverty line and as tobacco farmers face decreasing demand for their crop, many farmers are seeking new options. They see that foreign nations and even Canada grow hemp with profits from $220 to $600 per acre.
As American farmers have begun work for the right to grow hemp. the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has lobbied furiously against hemp farming. DEA agents have spoken before various state legislatures where hemp initiatives have begun. In spite of these protests, the states of North Dakota, Hawaii, Minnesota, and Maryland have so far passed laws permitting hemp farming. Several other states such as Illinois, New Mexico and Kentucky are close behind.
While the DEA points out that hemp is a variation of the Cannabis sativa plant and therefore first cousin to marijuana, hemp activists argue that hemp contains such small amounts (1% or less) of psychoactive ingredients (cannabinoids) that a person smoking even large amounts cannot become intoxicated.
The U. S. Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey and the DEA complain that hemp farming would create significant complications in law enforcement's efforts to identify and eradicate marijuana crops. However, the fact is that anyone trying to produce marketable marijuana would never plant marijuana near a hemp field, since cross pollination with hemp would significantly reduce marijuana's psychoactive ingredients.
Former CIA Director James Woolsey, representing the North American Industrial Hemp Council, recently stated, "If you want to get rid of marijuana, there's nothing better to do than plant a lot of industrial hemp."
Hemp and marijuana have significantly different growth configurations. The densely sown stalks of hemp shoot straight and tall, yielding maximum fiber and seeds. But marijuana potency depends on small stalks and heavy budding tips which are kept from seeding.
Increasing public interest in hemp goes far beyond farmers anxious for more profitable crops. Hemp farming is low impact and poses no environmental threat. Hemp fiber is versatile, durable, and cheap to produce. Hemp seeds serve as an important animal food source and hemp seed oil offers significant health and nutrition benefits for humans. Hemp products are 100% biodegradable. And hemp is a renewable resource, producing two crops per year in the South.
Arkansas farmers deserve a chance to get in on the ground floor of hemp farming. Hemp production, processing, and manufacturing offer a remarkable economic opportunity for the State of Arkansas.
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